31 DAYS TO GO | EFL Media will be previewing each club ahead of the 2019 season with the #InFocus2019 series, all thanks to Yarra Valley Water & Choose Tap.
By: Steve White
AFTER a couple of seasons out of the finals picture, the Basin’s 2018 campaign was a much more successful venture.
The Bears pushed through to the finals in Division 3 before falling to rivals Heathmont by one point in a tight elimination final.
It was a tough way to exit but senior coach Justin Stanton believes it was a good learning experience for the young side.
“We’ve learnt a lot from last year,” Stanton said.
“In my view, the major lesson being taking our opportunities late in the game and to push through to the final siren.
“We had a number of games last year we dropped by a kick or two, so that was a steep learning curve.”
A key loss for the Bears in the off-season has been club mainstay Max Kruger, who has departed for the UK due to work commitments.
“Anytime you lose a player like that, who was a former Perc James Medal and premiership winner in 2012, it’s tough for the club,” Stanton said.
“However, that also provides an opportunity for someone else to step up and fill the void.”
The Basin has recruited aggressively in the off-season.
Shane Davidson has joined the club from Vermont after missing the Eagles’ 2018 senior flag through injury.
Davidson in action for Vermont. PHOTO: Stuart Milligan
Davidson has played in three Division 1 grand finals for the Eagles and brings his 100-plus games experience to the Bears.
He will also slot into the leadership group alongside returning skipper Trevor Mills.
The club has also picked up Nick Hallo who has spent his entire EFL career at Ferntree Gully, as well as Kade Lynch who played last season with Beaconsfield in the South-East Football Netball League.
Stanton is looking forward to the contributions from the off-season acquisitions.
“We’re excited to have all three guys at the club for this season,” Stanton said.
“They will fill specific roles where we have identified deficiencies and all three have fit in really well.”
The theme at Batterham Reserve in 2019 will again be youth.
Many of The Basin’s NAB League list, including names such as Lachlan Kruger, Alex Young, Jackson Drake, Mitch Brown and Connor and Tom Edwards will see a lot more senior footy in 2019.
“There will be plenty of opportunities for our younger players (and) I conservatively expect around 14 of our 22 guys running out each week will be under 20 years old,” Stanton said.
“I don’t mind throwing them in the deep end of senior football and seeing who can swim.”
The Bears find themselves in Division 2 of the new EFL alignment among some tough opposition and expect to have their work cut out for them this season.
“Our expectations are that we will have a hard game every week and it will be a very tight season, particularly when looking at the quality of our opposition,” Stanton said.
“It will be important for us to bank some wins early in the season and hope we have a good run with injuries.”
The Basin is now in the top-five biggest clubs in the EFL in terms of players, with 18 junior teams hitting the field this year in addition to the senior teams.
The Basin’s women’s team is also back for more in 2019.
Finishing the 2018 Deakin Uni Eastern Women’s league in seventh spot with six wins, eight losses and a draw, head coach John Hayhurst is anticipating the new season and is looking to take advantage of a big influx of new blood to the club.
“We have 22 out of 30 girls returning from last year (and) 49 players total this year and we’ll have a reserves team likely in Division 3 which is huge,” Hayhurst said.
“The turnout at pre-season training has been excellent, with about 38 to 40 girls showing up each night.
“We didn’t go out and aggressively recruit players, they came to us which was fantastic and a testament to the club’s performance last year.”
Among the returning names for The Basin this year are Julia Baker and Dani Phillips, who booted 33 and 22 goals respectively last season.
Also returning is reigning Division 2 competition best and fairest Teagan Sheldon, along with Rachel Watt and Alicha Caminito who featured among the Bears’ best players in 2018.
The Bears have also snared 185cm Tayla Robins, who captained Heathmont last season.
“She (Robins) brings some height to the team and will slot straight into the ruck and be vital at the stoppages for us,” Hayhurst said.
Hayhurst believes that the personnel off the field is just as much a credit to the Bears’ performance as those on it.
“I have an outstanding team manager in Kim Troake who makes life much easier for me. I only have to think about football come training and game day,” he said.
“I’ve also got great coaching staff this year with three line coaches – Ken Hayhurst, Andrew Batty and Matt Bayley, all of whom have a heap of EFL knowledge and experience.”
The Basin opens its 2019 EFL season away to Heathmont at H.E. Parker Reserve on April 6, while the women’s fixture is to be released at a later date.
